


Bit-ter Memories

by Tinypeachfox



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Alternative Universe- Multiverse, Eventual Smut, F/M, Mentions of abuse and trauma, Violence, attempted non-con, g!sans - Freeform, sexualthemes, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinypeachfox/pseuds/Tinypeachfox
Summary: You had to say, you really hadn't been looking for a job when you first entered the Adoption Center. Yet here you were, up to your knees in bitties. What's the worst that could happen?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure what level it will get to, but this will have some messed up past abuse and oddly lewd things going on. It probably isn't for those of you who have suffered from any of these things. I'll warn you before hand loves!
> 
> Summary: Working at a bitty adoption center had its own share of problems. You didn't expect this bitty to be one of them.

"And this is where the bitties are displayed. The walls make it harder for them to escape. N-not that they'd want to. Adopters can step over easily....." You were finding it hard to pay attention to your new boss's words. It wasn't at all because of the sheer amount of cute, bright eyed Baby Blues staring up at you in wonder. No way.

"HELLO LADY!" Ugh. They were so _cute_.

....

Okay, it _was_ the adorable herd hopping around near the base of the wall distracting you. This was going to be a problem! How could you _work_ with such sweet little things? Bitties, not things. They were sentient, but you still slipped up now and again. Don't squeal. One of the Baby Blue's lifted up their arms to you, a wide grin stretching his skull. So... darn... _cute!_

_"_ Yeah, they can be distracting." You flinched at the voice just inches away. A small, soft blue fire monster was crouched down beside you. They were shorter then you by two feet at least, which was probably why they needed help. God, why was your boss adorable too? She was just barely out of bitty territory _._

Her name was Mama Cindy, and she had tried to hire you the instant you had walked into her adoption center. It was hilarious and distressing to have a small bundle of fire scaling your side in an attempt to grab your face in her hands. You just wanted to adopt, but telling her this proved to be nearly impossible. You didn't end up adopting, but you _had_ come back for an interview.

Her idea of an interview was to hire you immediately and drag you on a tour. You were pretty sure that this was not how you hired someone, but you weren't about to argue. That was probably how you got into this mess in the first place.

"They are all just too precious." You murmured quietly, trying not to press your face up against the little wall. You wanted one so badly. The Baby Blues were always so cheerful and sweet.

"They'll love you. We usually keep them all separated unless someone wants to view a selection." Mama Cindy gestured a small blue hand towards an empty playpen off to the side.

"I try to discourage it if I can. Some bitties just don't get along very well. " She sounded exasperated. You couldn't blame her. You could see the claw and teeth marks littering the edgy pen. God help someone who sat in the middle of _that._ You kinda wanted to see that happen.

"It's good for a one on one though! Especially with some of the rescues." You stood with Mama Cindy, finally following after her as she introduced you to the other bitties. Baby Blue, Edgy, Lil' Bro, Papy, Sansy, Boss, Cherry, Softy. There were even some cute little Grillbitties and a few gloopy Dings. Were those Mutts and Raspberries? You were squealing. You hadn't seen quite so many types in one place before. It was like heaven.

"You'll have to be careful with the Edgys, Bosses, Mutts and Raspberries. They get really irritable. You'll probably get bitten." Of course. At least Mutts were the more mellow of the biters. They were basically a more irritable version of the Lil' Bro after all. You could handle that. Edgys bit too much, Bosses were irritable tsunderes who liked to verbally tear you apart. Raspberries clawed and stabbed. You couldn't help but wonder why they were so popular.

"HOW DARE YOU GAZE UPON THE MALEVOLENT RASPBERRY!" A small Raspberry, clad in a dark purple version of baby blues outfit, screeched at you from the nearby pen. Yeah, they were kind of cute, but the mouth full of sharp teeth snarling at you wasn't winning them any points. Probably for secret masochists or something.

"Back here we have the rescues. They will be under my care primarily, but you'll be lending a hand when it's slow." You were lagging behind thinking about bitties again. You scrambled after your boss, trekking through the back hallway. A large storage room, the bathing area, various bitty supplies, the sleeping and feeding area (That was going to be interesting. Ugh.), and finally the rehabilitation room.

"I have only a few going through the rehab program right now. I'll introduce you really quickly before we talk about what you'll be doing for now." This room was quite large, containing separate play areas, feeding areas and along the wall rested a series of large, room like cages. There were what looked to be a few bitties in some of them.

(Warning, mentions of abuse and mistreatment. Careful sweethearts.)

***

"This here is Bomber. He's an Edgy that was rescued from a particularly violent owner." You followed Cindy as she approached a cage. There was a quiet rustling, like the occupant was trying to go unnoticed.

"Fuck off!" Alright then.

"Now now. This is _____. She's going to be helping out in the center." Inside of the cage was more like a tiny apartment. An Edgy sat on a small cushion, body curled against drawn up knees. You had to suppress a shiver. Despite violent words the bitty was shaking, practically clawing at his own bones in an effort to hide it. You could see scars littering the few bits of exposed bone, his skull was cracked straight down the center. It was an older scar, but you still couldn't help the churning anger welling in your gut.

"Hello there Bomber." You murmured as quietly as you could. The bitty growled at you, baring his teeth. You could tell he had to have various teeth replaced. His eye lights wobbled as though he were fighting tears.You were really starting to hate whoever had hurt this poor little Edgy. You weren't a fan of them, but that was no reason to hurt him!

"Come on. I know it hurts, but there are a few others." Right, you had others to meet. The next few cages over held a Baby Blue. He seemed relatively normal until he looked at you. Why were his eyes like that? The lights that would normally be bright in his sockets were completely gone. There were small cracks along the edges of his sockets, as though he had taken a blow to the face. His expression was almost sinister.

"This is Coconut. He's blind. His previous owner.... well, he's being tried for multiple charges of... rape." What? _What_!? Was that even possible? Oh god. You were so glad the bitty couldn't see the way your face had twisted in horror.

"Coconut, sweetie, this is _____ . She's a good person." The Blue's face relaxed, body going almost slack in relief.

"Mornin' Miss Cindy." That was the most lethargic greeting you had ever heard come from a Blue. He shifted, scooting slowly over to the bars. It wasn't until he stuck his small fingers through the bars for reassurance from Cindy that you noticed. His pelvis and ribs were wrapped, and he looked uncomfortable moving. He had broken ribs and a broken pelvis. Oh god.

"It's okay Miss _____." You hadn't realized you were crying until tiny boney fingers had taken hold of your thumb. Coconut was petting you, the barest of smiles on his face.

"No it's not." You looked down at the tiny hand grasping yours. His grip tightened briefly.

"I know, but it sounds nice."

"Alright Coconut. We'll come back around to see you after we see the others, okay?" The Blue nodded at Cindy's words, releasing your hand in favor of fidgeting with his bandages. Did you even want to _know_   what had happened to the others? Your steps were more reluctant now, but you followed after Cindy anyway.

"This is Tango." No other notes...? You glanced into the cage, coming face to face with a Papy with only one arm. _Oh_. That's why.

"HELLO MAMA CINDY! HELLO HUMAN!" Cindy chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"This is _____ . You two will have lots of fun." The Papy beamed, practically bouncing.

"WILL THERE BE PUZZLES?"

"Of course." Cindy reached through the bars to rub Tango's head gently.

"This one was a stray, dog got to him. He's almost recovered and has progressed very well! He will be adoptable soon." Somehow this still made you want to cry. He was smiling so widely despite his injury. Despite having been abandoned and left to die.

"I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING UNDER YOUR CARE!" Too cute. Gosh, you wanted to hug him.

"You can hug him later." Oops, did you say that out loud? Cindy chuckled at your expense, gesturing towards the very end of the cages. There was a very large, rather elaborate looking cage wedged into the far corner. What kind of bitty needed a room that size? You supposed you were about to find out.

"Smokes! Are you awake?" Smokes? Was it a Lil' Bro? Or maybe a Mutt....? They were the only bitties you knew of that liked to smoke. Well, Cindy was certainly straightforward about yelling at them. They couldn't be all that dangerous.

"Oh my god Smokes! Put on a shirt! We have a guest." There was a grumble and you peered cautiously around the edge. That... that wasn't a Lil' Bro or a Mutt. What in the world were they?

For one the bitty was _huge_. Which explained the large cage. They looked to be at least two feet tall. Not at all like any bitty you had ever encountered. That was practically in regular monster territory. The bitty was laying on a child's couch, looking at Cindy with laden eyesockets. As soon as your head popped into view the strangely yellow eye lights snapped over to your face.

Their skull was oddly smooth, two cracks jutting out from either eyesocket. He looked a little bit like a Dings. Weird. The bitty was very lean and completely, _bafflingly_   attractive. Okay then. Probably not something you should be thinking about.  Cindy lured you out into the open, sighing as the bitty sat up, but didn't bother putting on a shirt. There were scars where his ribs had been broken and rehealed, web like cracks along his femurs and nicks in his arms. Who could have done this to him?

"This is Smokes. He's.... actually I have no idea what he is. We've never seen anything like him. He... Smokes no!" You had been so involved in listening to Cindy that you hadn't even noticed the bitty approach. He was now standing in front of you, eyeing... was he looking at your crotch? What the _hell_?!

"Hey dove." His voice was raspy, almost strained. It was a weird level of deep for a tiny skeleton monster. You should know, you had once met a skeleton monster who was humongous but somehow his voice was kind of high? He had really liked spaghetti. It was weird.

"Do me a favor." What? Right, there was a bitty talking to you.

"Uh..." You looked to Cindy for guidance when something grabbed the knee of your jeans, sharply dragging you down onto them. Jesus Christ.Did Smokes just...? He was now eye level with your hips, eyeing them with a look that made you suddenly extremely uncomfortable.

"Open up and let a guy have a taste?" What? Were those _fingers_ probing at your pants?

"Smokes! What did I tell you about sexually harassing the staff!" Did he just proposition you? _Nope_. Not dealing with that, thank you very much. You tugged away, hiding your reddening face as you promptly absconded, straight to Coconut. Okay, _yes_ , you had a problem with your love for the Blues. Shut up. The Baby Blue seemed baffled by your sudden appearance, but gently carded through your hair when you settled your head against the bars.

"Aw. Come on. I just wanted a lick or two." You could hear the bitty sigh. Nope. That was one bitty you were avoiding if you could help it.

"Smokes, no." Cindy tried to scold, but the bitty didn't sound put out at all.

"Mama?" The skeleton purred, and you could hear Cindy absconding too.

"Oh no, not this time! Last time I came close you were tongue deep before I could even blink." Did you just hear that right? What the actual hell? Literally. What _even_? Cindy was beside you soon, patting your back reassuringly.

"So, as I was trying so unsuccessfully to explain, Smokes is a peculiar rescue?" No, you never would have guessed. You turned your head just enough to see the guilty expression on the fire monster's face.

"He was an illegal brothel bitty." A brothel bitty?

"As you know, using a bitty for prostitution is very illegal. From what we can tell he was born and raised for the sexual gratification of perverts. He thinks his behavior is normal, to just proposition or dive head first in to get patrons. The few younger bitties we rescued were easier to rehabilitate since they hadn't spent as long being conditioned. They've told us horror stories of how they had to satisfy so many customers before they could eat. Many of them didn't survive." Cindy's mouth tightened into a frown.

"Smokes is still frighteningly deep in that mindset. We've tried everything to get him to realize he doesn't have to molest someone to get fed." Well, at least his behavior made a bit more sense now. You'd still leave that all up to Cindy to handle.

***

"Smokes is very strong, but also a bit stubborn. I'm really sorry about that."

"I was just startled boss. And a bit violated, but you know." Cindy nodded in understanding.

"I'd understand if you..."

"I'm not quiting."

"Oh. You sure?"

"Stop trying to convince me."

"Right, I think I should show you what you'll actually be doing now." Probably a good idea.

\----------

Your first real day was interesting. Because, despite your decision to stay as _far_ away from Smokes as possible, here you were, helping Mama Cindy feed the bitties.

"I hate to ask this of you." She had looked sheepish as she held the tray out to you.

"But Tyson somehow managed to get trapped in the Raspberry pen." Tyson, the other human that worked here during the same shift as you, was an idiot. He seemed to always get stuck in a pen, somehow? It had happened three times already and it had _only_ been an hour.

"That's okay. Who still needs fed?" Cindy managed to look even more guilty then she had before.

"The rescues." Fuck. Well, could be worse you supposed. Which was how you ended up slowly dreading your purposely sluggish adventure towards the end of the cages.

At least the other bitties had been easy to feed, as they were already out in their meal pen. You were a little bit surprised that Cindy hadn't let Smokes out with the others. Yet, with his size you understood that he could very easily escape. He was practically Cindy's height! That just made this so much harder though. Bomber had little interest in the food you slid him, more interested in growling at you. Coconut and Tango were wonderfully sweet, greeting you and even grasping onto your fingers when you gently stroked their heads.

Then there was the problem of having to feed Smokes without getting violated. You stood to the side of the cage for several minutes, wondering how you were going to do this. Finally you just gave in, walking out and standing a few feet away from the front of the cage. Smokes was already standing by the bars, eyelights trained on your every movement. He had dragged his table over and was standing on it.

You couldn't help but notice that he was unnervingly close to crotch level. Right, definitely need to stay out of arm reach. You cleared your throat, drawing his attention to your face.

"It's lunch time." Smokes looked down at the tray in your hands and back up to your face. He then opened his mouth, tongue curling out in what was probably the most _provocative_ movement you had ever seen in your life.

This bitty was weird.

When you didn't move he wiggled his tongue, arching a boney brow at you. You had an idea what he wanted. You weren't giving it to him. Glancing down at his lunch, some chicken chunks, vegetables and fruits, you came to a decision. You picked up a chunk of chicken and shoved it into his mouth.

He clearly hadn't been expecting that, freezing and staring at you as though you had suddenly grown seven heads. You had a bad feeling that you knew exactly what he had been expecting. Why else would he have gone through the effort of making sure he was level with your hips?

"Well? You going to eat it?" Smokes blinked, then made short work of the bite. You spent several minutes, just standing there, slowly feeding the bitty his lunch. You were on the fruit when someone cleared their throat behind you. You craned your head back, noticing Cindy, looking puzzled.

"I... don't really have words for what I'm seeing right now, but I figured I would tell you. There's a slot? To slide the tray in, down at the bottom here." Oh. So there was. Well then.

"He was being weird, so I figured I'd just... feed him?" Cindy hummed, her gaze drifting between you and the bitty.

"Smart. I hadn't thought about just, _distracting_ him like that." You didn't like the way she was looking at you.

"Well, he's just about done.... so, I'll get back to cleaning." You handed him the last piece of fruit. Unluckily for you, he chose that moment to wrap his tongue around your fingers, pulling them into his mouth.

You let out a squeak, pulling your hand back as fast as possible. Cindy was laughing at his offended look. The little letch. Just remember, he didn't really know any different. You wiped your hand off on your pants, handed Cindy the empty tray and sulked off to recover.

"You look mortally offended." Tyson chimed in helpfully as you stomped past him, picking up your bucket as you went.

"I just got my _fingers_ sucked on by a perverted little skeleton."

"Ah. Sounds pretty normal." You stopped, wondering how exactly he knew that was normal? You were pretty sure that only Cindy fed the rescues. You turned to look at him questioningly, just in time to see him topple head first into the Raspberry pen again.

"Cindy! The idiot fell in the pen again!"

"H-hey! Ow! No, stop! Damn it!"

"Oh my _god_ Tyson!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something weird is going on in the adoption center. The bitties know more then they let on. Smokes is a handful.

It only took you a week to notice something very weird was going on. Other than the seemingly normal weirdness of Smokes and the other rescues. The bitties behaved rather strange sometimes.

If it was you tending to the bitties out front, then they were all relaxed, even unusually friendly. This included the troublemaker breeds. You had been bitten only once so far and that was because you had accidentally squeezed a Raspberry too hard. You had apologized and made an effort to be as gentle as possible despite the blood. You hadn't been injured since. Very few fights broke out and Cindy was mystified.

Yet if it was _Tyson_ , the front was utter chaos. He was constantly being bitten. Well, that's normal! Not if the more docile ones are doing it too. Have you ever seen a sleepy, quiet Softy bite someone? It happened to Tyson, multiple times. The many, many times he had fallen into the pens seemed almost like it was on purpose. Like he was being pulled into the pens and attacked.

How had Cindy failed to notice any of this? Should you even bother bringing it up? She had to know it was happening. It made you wary of Tyson, if only for the fact that the bitties didn't seem to trust him.

"Ow!" You snapped out of your musing, sticking your now bleeding finger into your mouth. There went _that_ record. There was a very smug looking Edgy standing near the floor you had been mindlessly scrubbing. You nearly forgot you were cleaning a mess some jerk made in the Edgy pen. You warned them not to just reach in there and poke them. But _no_. Why would they listen to _you_?

"Heya sweetcheeks. Ya might wanna 'ead on ta da back. Think I 'eard mama callin' fo ya." Really? You hadn't heard anything. Did Cindy need help with the rescues?

"Did Tyson do something dumb again?" You muttered to yourself, dusting off your pants. You remember her asking Tyson to check on them while she cooked.

"When does he not?" The Edgy muttered.

"True." Ugh. You did not want to pry poor Bomber off of him again. You climbed your way carefully out of the pen, noticing that the bitties made sure to stay out from under you. It was nice, since you know they give no such leeway to your coworker.

You set out towards the back with **determination**. First stop was the kitchen. No dice. Where had Cindy gone? You could see the trays of food sitting on the counter top. Maybe she went to help Tyson. You quickly made your way down the hall. You could faintly hear Cindy's voice drifting over from the back.

"Smokes no!" Was that a scream? Oh god.

"SMOKES, THIS IS _HARDLY_ APPROPRIATE!" Was that Tango?

***

This was _not_ what you wanted to see. You sprinted into the rescue room, looking around frantically. The other rescues were in their feeding pen. Coconut was missing, while Tango, who looked absolutely appalled was trying to pull himself up to the ledge one armed. Bomber was curled up under the small table. It looked like Cindy was feeding them first today, judging by the food on the table. There was an awful lot for only three bitties....

"OH! THAT EDGY WAS RIGHT! MISS _____! PLEASE HELP!" What? Okay, you'd think about that later. Right now Cindy needed help. You followed Tango's gaze to see the reason for their panic. Cindy seemed to have opened Smokes' crate, which was a _terrible_ idea and was now on the floor, struggling with the bitty who was literally half her size. Smokes had pulled her down, grasped her around the hips and was trying to pull off her pants.

Great.

"Boss, why?" You sighed, making your way over to the struggle. How had he taken just her shoes and socks off?

  
"_____! H-help!" You made your way over cautiously, glad for the small miracle that was the bittys obliviousness. Wow, he was almost tearing through the fabric. Christ. Poor Cindy was shaking, her hands practically clawing at the bitty's skull. The first thing you did was try unsuccessfully to pull him off of her. Then you tried pulling her away from him. Neither option worked very well.

Okay.

....

Now what?

Well, when in doubt, shove food in his face. You carefully walked over to the feeding pen and picked up some of the food. You settled it back on it's tray and stood with it in hand. You then, very carefully, made your way back to the distressed fire monster.

"Hey Smokes! It's time to eat!" The bitty cast you a side eye, pointedly taking a languid lick of the fabric of Cindy's shirt as if to say, 'I am already trying, idiot'. Cindy was not happy, pushing at any part of him she could reach.

"I'm sure the others would like it then. You'll just be hungry." You shrugged, turning to walk back to the feeding pen. There was a wet popping noise that gave you pause. Smokes had actually stopped, lifting his head to look at you. Hm.

***

"Hey Tango, you really like vegetables right? Want these?" You moved closer, pointedly taking slow, short steps.

"OH! IS IT THE WHITE FLOWER ONES? I LIKE THOSE!"

"Yes, it's cauliflower."

"OH GOODY!" Tango was the cutest Papy. A glance back, Smokes was now propped up on his elbows, Cindy taking grateful breaths of relief.

"C-can I have the fries?" Bomber had poked his head from under the small table. He was actually asking you for something?

"Of course Bomber." You cooed, kneeling down beside the pen.

"When Coconut comes back he can have the fruit." Tango gladly took the piece of cauliflower you handed him, Bomber scurrying over quickly enough to grab a fry.

"YES, COCONUT WILL NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT, SINCE HE IS STUCK WITH TYSON AGAIN." Why did those words make you so worried?

"We... we can split the burger?" Bomber's shy, nervous tone was endearing.

"Su-oohf!" You let out a heavy burst of air as you were tackled from behind.

You were now being scaled by a very miffed skeleton.

"I'm not a tree." A mutter hissed out as boney fingers dug into your shoulders. Smokes was _much_ too large to be climbing on someone's shoulder.

"Don't! That's mine!" Okay, there was a skeleton on your face and teeth in your nose. He was just awkwardly against your chest, fingers digging into your cheeks.

"You're the one who chose not to eat. But you know, keep eating my face. It's not like we have a whole kitchen of food or anything." You grumbled, setting the tray down in the pen and wrapping an arm around the skeleton. You got up, still clutching the skeleton as you turned. From what you could see of Cindy past your obstruction, she had gotten her clothes back in order and was giving you a strange look.

Smokes let out a weird, growled whine as you made your way to his crate. You cast your boss a look of annoyance, noting her confusion over your ability to completely ignore a skeleton chewing on your face.

"Why did you think this was a good idea?" Cindy had the right state of mind to be sorry. Her body hunched, shoulders rising up to scrunch around her face. Her flames were a very uncomfortably white tint.

"He had been so good all week! I thought he might be ready to try eating with everyone else..." He clearly _wasn't_ , but he was already out, so maybe with the right supervision? You waited patiently for Cindy to continue, but found she was staring at you.

"_____, you're bleeding." The skeleton trying to become a permanent part of your face let out a startled noise, pulling back to stare at you as well. It hadn't hurt when he was still biting you, but now that he had stopped it stung. The wet feeling of blood seeping down your face was unpleasant, to say the least.

"I want a raise." You sighed, ignoring the intense gaze Smokes was giving you in favor of asking for a bandaid.

\-------

"Have you considered a therapist?" You questioned Cindy, your gaze intently focused on the large bitty sitting before you. Smokes had been shockingly quiet and placid after realizing he had hurt you. It wasn't that much of a bother, a little bit painful, but understandable given the circumstances. You had gotten him his own tray after bandaging your face, making him sit at your feet before feeding him. He ended up sitting on your feet, but close enough you supposed.

"Yes. Unfortunately he ended up driving each of them away in the end. He isn't the most cooperative." Cindy sighed, stroking Tango's head absently.

"You don't say." Maybe she should try therapists specializing in trauma? It was something to look into. Speaking of trauma, where was Coconut? Tyson should have been back by now.

"Boss, you might want to check up on Tyson and Coconut." Cindy looked briefly confused, before shooting up, cursing under her breath. She scampered out of the room, leaving you alone with the rescues. Well, at least she trusted you?

You sat there for several minutes, spoiling the rescues with extra bits of food.

After ten minutes you became worried. You could handle the bitties on your own, that wasn't a problem. You were worried that Cindy had somehow gotten into something again.

  
Thirty minutes and you were ready to get up in search of her. Luckily for her and whatever Tyson had done to delay her for so long, the tiny monster soon made her way back to the room. It didn't take her long to press a newly bandaged Coconut into the crook of your shoulder. Poor bitty was trembling, his tiny fingers digging into your skin like claws.

  
"I have to get lunch out to the others. Will you be okay for a little while?" Cindy looked done with today. You couldn't blame her.

  
"I got it. I'll even let them play a little while and stretch their limbs." Cindy gave you a look of relief, trudging off to start other chores. It was that kind of day today huh?

  
\-----

  
The hardest thing, you think, about being in any kind of retail, is the customers. Even if this wasn't really a store, so much as a government endorsed adoption agency, but you digress. Trying to convince idiots who won't listen, that a bitty is as much a citizen as any other monster and human, was like pulling teeth with old floss. They never wanted to listen. Luckily for you, bitties couldn't be adopted without a mutual agreement. Not just of the bitties and their new human, but also the local Mama. It helped keep bitties out of bad homes, for the most part. Sometimes people were just too good at hiding their black splotches, even from monsters who could see your soul.

  
Most of your morning was spent pulling small children away from bitty pens and yelling at parents who thought bitties were for children. They aren't pets! They are potential family members! _No_ you wouldn't just give them a bitty anyway!

  
Cindy's morning was spent stopping you from strangling potential adopters.

Tyson was there, trying to help you out in the front. He was rather useless today though, only gathering the ire of the nearby bitties.

  
It was just barely working.

  
It eventually took Cindy putting you under the watchful eye of a fussy Raspberry named Caesar. It was much easier not to strangle someone with a small boney guard smacking you in the face.

  
"I can't have you beating people up in front of our guest." There was going to be a guest? You voiced as much before she had shoved the bitty, quite literally, into your face. She had only been able to do it because you had bent down to retrieve a Softy who had somehow managed to wedge himself under a shelf for a nap.

"Yes. Remember how you were talking about therapists? Well, I started wondering if it wouldn't be easier to treat Smokes if we knew what he was! Some bitties need certian types of care, so maybe we are lacking something...."

"You're rambling boss."

"Ah, right, so. I invited an old friend over. He's kind of an expert, so if anyone knows what Smokes is, he will." Well, that was good, right? Seemed like it anyway. It was about time at any rate. So you went back to work, letting Cindy's words fall into the back of your mind. It was hard enough to work without worrying about some stranger around the bitties while also trying not to be so rude you got scolded.

  
"REMOVE YOUR HAND FROM THE MALEVOLENT CAESAR'S CLOTHING AT ONCE YOU WRETCHED CHILD." Nevermind. Caesar would get along with you just fine. You cast the offending child a look as their parent grabbed their hand, letting out a huff as they promised never to return. Good. How many times had you told them this wasn't a store?!

  
"PATHETIC. I DON'T SEE WHY MAMA WANTS YOU TO CEASE YOUR SCOLDING OF THESE INFANTILE FOOLS."

  
"No clue little boss."

  
"IT'S CAESAR!"

  
"Sure thing little boss." There was a growl in your ear. Ah, there it was, the smack you had slowly been getting used to as the hour passed. Had it already been an hour?

  
"Wanna go push Tyson in the Mutt pen?"

  
"....YES."

  
"Heh. This seems a little counter intuitive kiddo. Driving away people like that." You paused, noticing how stiff Caesar had become against your neck. At first you thought a Sansy had gotten loose, again, and was somewhere he shouldn't be. Until you realized that the voice was much too loud (Which was a weird thing to think, considering it was rather quiet.) and much too close to your face to be the case. Then, as you turned to face the speaker you thought you might have shrunk, since the monster before you was definitely a Sansy. Rather, they looked like one. Or was it the other way around?

"Well... not... really?" The room was unnervingly still, as every bitty seemed to have trained their gaze on the newcomer. This was bordering on creepy now.

"Ya don't say?" The skeleton was relaxed despite having the attention of every bitty in sight, hands stuffed in his pockets and lazy grin stretched across his features. The more you looked, eyeing his messy blue hoodie, basketball shorts that were very inappropriate for the weather and pink fuzzy slippers, the more you thought of him as just being an overgrown bitty.

  
"Bitties wouldn't do well in a house where they are viewed as only a play thing. Being trapped in a life they can't escape isn't good for anyone." You held the monster's gaze, not at all surprised when he gave a lazy shrug and started shuffling off into your back hallway. Wait, back hallway? The room returned to life as you immediately raced after him, leaving Tyson to fend for himself.

"Sir! You can't just walk back here!" You tried to deter him, wondering how it was he was staying just ahead of you despite his pace never changing from a lazy gait.

"MOVE FASTER!"

"I'm trying! Boss! Incoming!"

"What?" Cindy poked her head out of the back room, Coconut in hand. You were surprised when she waved in greeting instead of freaking out like you expected. So maybe this weird uncanny valley was her guest?

"Sans! You're early! Please stop freaking out my workers."

"Heh, sorry short stack." Like he was one to talk. He was just barely your height. At least he had slowed down enough that you could catch up. He cast you a cheeky grin despite your frown, earning him a mutter of annoyance from you. He was a freaking Sa... wait, did she say his name was Sans? Seriously?

"You might as well join us _____ , since you're already here." Cindy sighed, shaking her head at your unapologetic shrug.

"Will you keep an eye on Tyson, Caesar?"

"IF I MUST." The Raspberry huffed, allowing you to set him down so that he could head off to his new job. Tyson was definitely ending up in the Mutt pen.

With that amusing thought you returned your attention to Cindy and Sans. The totally not a bitty monster in front of you. He was watching you again, not even trying to hide his interest in your interactions with the bitties.

"So, where's the little tyke?" His attention abruptly changed back to Cindy, following after her as she led the way into the rescue area. You were relieved that Smokes seemed to be in his room at the moment. You didn't know what you would do if he had latched onto the larger skeleton. Coconut was gently dropped off at his own quarters before the three of you made your way to Smokes' room. You were still wary about coming into view, even though you should probably be used to it by now.

Smokes was sleeping it seemed, curled up under an array of blankets in the corner. You guessed it was his bed, or at least a comfortable cushion. He didn't move, even as Cindy called out to him. He didn't even stir when Sans started asking Cindy questions.

"Has he eaten yet?" You questioned. It looked like he hadn't moved at all.

"No. He hasn't even gotten out of bed yet." Well, that wouldn't fly.

"Smokes!" A stir, Sans' eyelights snapping towards you as soon as you spoke up.

"Oi. Get up lazy bones." Another shift. Sans seemed extremely interested now, shifting closer to you, despite your obviously disgruntled glare.

"You have a guest." And he went still again.

"Brat." You muttered.

"Get up! Or I'm eating all your food!" That got him moving. At least enough to sit up and huff at you sleepily. He looked from you, to Cindy, glancing only briefly at Sans before returning to you.

"Liar." Well, he saw through that didn't he? The bitty begrudgingly got up anyway, making his way over to the bars. He rest his head against the metal, making grabby-hands at your knees.

  
You weren't stupid. Judging by the side eye he was giving you he had been hoping that would work. Denied, the bitty slumped his arms lazily through the bars.

  
"I'm hungry mama." Cindy let out a sigh, automatically turning toward the kitchen.

  
"I'll get you something. Behave alright?" She must have meant it as an order. An order Smokes didn't seem to care about. Instead he pretended to stare vacantly. You knew he was pretending because his eyelights followed you as you approached Sans. God, seeing a monster that so closely resembled the ones you worked with was very unsettling.

  
"So... Cindy says you're an expert?" Sans let out a low chuckle, tilting his skull just enough to focus on you.

  
"She exaggerates a bit. But I do have a bit of skill in telling bitties apart." Well, that was good enough you supposed.

  
"Any ideas?"

  
"A few."

  
"So helpful."

  
"He's an adult. Probably been around for quite awhile, judging by his state. Scars are a bit..." Sans' voice trailed off as Cindy came back, holding a tray of food. Smokes perked up, only to slump when Cindy just slid the tray through the small slot. He was probably expecting to be let out like yesterday. You were glad Cindy was smart enough not to do that.

  
"Why not let him out?" Of course Sans would question this. Cindy chuckled nervously, watching Smokes as he begrudgingly picked up his tray and moved it to the table.

  
"He is a bit of a handful? Yesterday I got into a situation. I was lucky _____ was working." Again Sans was eyeing you curiously. You really wished he wouldn't do that. Cindy went into depth on Smokes' behavior and answered Sans' questions as best as she could. You zoned out after a few minutes, watching Smokes eat as though this were his last meal.

  
"He's an Echo." A what? That drew your attention. Sans sounded so sure, giving Cindy a lopsided grin.

  
"Oh. Oh! It's so easy! How did I miss it!" Cindy was practically falling over herself at this revelation. You felt just as enthused as Smokes looked. At least if his apathetic gaze was anything to go by.

  
"Never heard of it."

  
"Echo's are pretty rare. Luckily I know a gal who has one. I'll see if I can arrange a meeting. Might be good for the kid." That sounded like a _terrible_ idea.

  
"Great!" Your boss didn't agree. Well, it was her body on the line in the end. And your's. Oh dear. The two made arrangements while you tried not to panic.

  
"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised kid." Sans gave you a pat that was probably meant to be reassuring.

  
"I'm so excited!" Cindy was bouncing as the two of you walked your guest back out to the front. The three of you were greeted by the sight of Tyson writhing in the Mutt pen. Caesar was standing triumphantly atop the wall, cackling in delight.

  
Cindy sighed, trudging over to help Tyson out. You sneakily gave the Raspberry a high five.

  
"Heh, looks like he was _falling_ all over himself to get to work."

  
"Oh my god Sans, don't you start."

"No need to get so _heated_."

"Ugh!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyson just gets more suspicious. A visitor... and therapy?

There was a bitty missing. This morning you remember feeding and counting thirty Softies. Thirty Softies took a nap in your many apron pockets as you cleaned their pen. (Cindy had finally gotten one in your size!) Twenty nine attended lunch. You were currently in a panic, checking other pens and asking other bitties if they had seen them. The other bitties were all present and accounted for. They didn't seem to be anywhere out front where you had left them.

Oh god, you hoped you hadn't lost one in the back. You were going to get Tyson to hold down the fort while you paniced, but he had wandered off somewhere. So, you left Caesar and a Lil Bro named Ace in charge while you went into the back to check. They weren't in the kitchen. Not under any of the shelves. You even rechecked all of your pockets and under the blanket pile in their sleeping quarters. It wasn't until you rounded the corner near the medical ward that you heard a noise.

As far as you could remember none of the bitties were injured. Not counting the rescues of course. So there shouldn't be anyone in there. Making your way into the room didn't immediately reveal anything, but you could hear cursing. A soft growl drew you towards the privacy curtain. Maybe Cindy had isolated a bitty and had forgotten to tell you?

No, you soon realized. It was Tyson, looking back at you like a deer in headlights when you opened the curtain. In his hands was the missing Softy, teeth buried in the palm of his hand. You let out a quiet sigh of relief, holding out your hand to take the clearly stressed skeleton. Tyson averted his gaze and sheepishly held out his hand, allowing the bitty to voluntarily drop into your palm.

"Tyson, _what_ were you doing?"

"I was trying to get them to let go, and you were busy..." You were, but you would have stopped to help out.

"Next time come get me. Less stress for the bitty that way."

"Uh, sure. I'll try to remember that." Tyson refused to meet your gaze, looking down at his blood soaked palm. The way he was fidgeting was weird, but there wasn't anything you could do about it. Either way you wanted to get the bitty back to the others as fast as you could.

"Okay well, I'm going to put him with the others. If you need help bandaging..."

"I got it." _Okay_ then. You just wouldn't offer next time. You cradled the bitty in your fingers, pointedly making your way out of the room without looking back. The Softy was shaking, small huffs of breath rolled across your skin. A brief glance down showed he was trying not to cry. His clothing looked ruffled, so you stopped by the resting area to clean him up a bit.

Why was his clothing ripped? Maybe he just got stuck in something. You rubbed his face and skull until he settled, then stripped him down for a quick bath. Not that he cared, he had fallen asleep in your fingers. As soon as he was clean you dried him off with a warm towel and dressed him in a cute pair of sheep pj's. It wasn't anywhere near bed time, but he looked like he could use the comfort.

When you finally got back to the front you were pleasantly surprised. There was very little mess, save for the usual and Ace and Caesar were doing their assigned jobs well. Caesar might not have agreed, with the way he was yelling at Ace to pick up the pace. But everyone was as relaxed as they could get, people were, for the most part, listening to what the bitties had to say. You were greatful and you treated them to a little extra to show it. A bit of honey candy for Ace and a small cupcake for Caesar was more than enough to earn you tiny toothy kisses on your fingers. _God_ bitties were cute.

You were growing attached.

Was that okay?

  
\-----

"Sans just called." That's great. Right now you had other things to worry about. Like how you were getting out of the Mutt pen. It wasn't that you were in any real danger. A kind girl, stuttering and shy, had been nervously flitting about between the Lil Bro and Mutt pens. She looked like she was on the verge of crying when you gently asked her if she wanted to try sitting with them.

  
Turned out she wanted to talk with the Mutts, but was too afraid. She thought maybe a Lil Bro would be better because they looked less scary. Mutt's weren't scary, at least to you. Just a little misunderstood because of their toothy nature. If anything the Mutts tended to be overly protective and sweet. In a somewhat aggressive way.

So, you being you, you climbed in and laid out in the middle of the Mutt pen. Much to everyone's growing amusement, you quickly became a bed. You knew that none of them were asleep. They were just lounging everywhere. Your limbs, your chest, even your face and neck. You were pretty sure it was on purpose, because you could hear the girl softly snickering at one of the Mutt's antics. They could sense her nervousness and probably wanted to make her feel at ease. That or they just wanted to torture you. You could see Cindy shake her head from your one unobstructed eye.

  
"He said his friend is headed over soon. I'm going to need your help, since Smokes will be out."

  
" _What_?" You sat up abruptly, startling the bitties. Luckily they just rolled down into a pile on your lap.

  
"The bitty's human doesn't want him to be somewhere he can't escape." Okay, valid point.

"What about her?"

"He'll keep her safe." Reassuring.

  
"Alright, just let me finish up and I'll help you set up." You let out a soft sigh, slowly starting to move bitties from your body. You then walked the kind girl through what she would have to do in order to adopt. Starting with a full month of visits to narrow down and truly bond with a bitty. It was another form of fail safe to help protect the bitties. Once the visits were over there would be discussions of consent and short home visitations before the actual adoption took place.

The process could be a bit overwhelming, but the girl, who you soon came to know as Abigail, seemed excited, if a bit nervous. That was a good sign. You had a feeling she would make a great home for one of the Mutts. If not, well, she was always welcome to try again.

  
You bid Abigail farewell, hoping she would be back in tomorrow. There was a Mutt, you were pretty sure his name was Rockafella, who you thought was perfect for her. You told him as such, watching as he flushed and grumbled at your words. You would have teased him some more, but you had a job to do.

You, quiet reluctantly, left Tyson to man the front so you could head back to help your boss. When you reached the back room Cindy was setting up a pen to help contain Smokes to a more manageable area. At least, she was trying to. She was trying to lift gate pieces that were almost her size. You quickly took it from her, lugging it towards the hookup along the wall.

  
So it ended up with you lifting and moving the pieces while she directed you to where they needed to be. It was a relatively open plan, encompassing half of the room. You had to put up the smaller pens to help prevent tripping. Which seemed kind of redundant once Cindy started pulling out various cubes and soft bean bags to fill the space.

  
"Got to have someplace to hide behind. Barriers help ease some bitties anxiety about meeting new people and bitties." Well, the visiting bitty might appreciate this at least. You lent her a hand, making the space soft and cozy, but easy to escape if the need arose. Hopefully not by Smokes.

  
"Okay, they should be here soon, if they aren't already here. I'm going to go check how Tyson's doing out front. Can you get Smokes out? He'll need time to adjust." Oh, great. Just what you wanted. Alone in a room with Smokes. You could do this.

  
Maybe. You weren't entirely sure. You had to get him out of his crate first. The bitty was currently sitting all the way against the back wall of his room, well out of reach. Smokes was curled into himself, spine arched almost like an angry cat.

  
"Come on Smokes. You'll be safe." He bared his teeth in a soft hiss, sharp canines flashing at you briefly. This wasn't going to be fun. Should you even bother if he was so clearly uncomfortable? Well, you figured he'd come out when he was ready. With it clearly decided that you were _definitely_ not reaching in there you sat down, making yourself comfortable on the floor beside the crate.

  
It didn't take long for Cindy to make her way back. Following after her was a woman. She was rather tall, you mused, dressed in a soft blue sweater and jeans. Her hair was like fire, twisting up into a bun. She had a lot of freckles, something that you could only concentrate on briefly before your attention was drawn to the figure beside her. It was another Echo bitty.

  
Your first thought was that Smokes would clean up really well, if he'd try just a little bit. He was clad in a soft grey turtleneck and jean combo, a black jacket draped over his lean frame. He was definitely a bit more solid than Smokes, who looked like he was perpetually starving. Which was odd, considering that they were both made of bone. There were no scars that you could see, save for the two facial scars that seemed to be the norm for Echo's. The bitty was a little bigger than Smokes, though not by much. His size was probably why his human had him walk. That or the bitty was paranoid about his human's safety. You couldn't blame him.

  
"Oh, _____ , you haven't gotten Smokes out yet?" Cindy questioned as she made her way to your side. You made a gesture towards the disgruntled bitty.

  
"Oh. Well. I wasn't expecting him to throw this much of a fuss. Um, I'll just introduce you to our guests then. Maybe he will settle a little." You hoped so. Your guests had made it through the gate and over to where you sat, earning a tentative wave from you. You couldn't help but wonder what a typical Echo behaved like. Watching him walk was like watching a large cat stalk you around a room. He was definitely wary.

  
"This is Felicia. She agreed to these meetings for as long as they are comfortable."

  
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can make some progress." Felicia glanced down at her bitty, who was nonchalantly leaning against her leg. She made a few gestures with her head until the bitty let out a sigh. He approached, sparking a small bit of anxiety. You didn't really have anything to go on other than Smokes.

  
"Heya Peaches. Names Casanova." His voice was raspy and low. You didn't want to admit it gave you confusing goosebumps. You were still baffled as to how such a small monster could have a voice like that. He extended a hand, which you placed yours on gently. You quickly found yourself blushing as he pressed a kiss to your fingers, then the inside of your palm, finishing with a gentle nuzzle along your wrist. You had no clue how to react, letting out a small squeak of uncertainty.

  
"But _you_ can call me Cas." He winked, smirking at your flustered state. The low chuckle that followed had you burying your face in your hands. This was going to be an interesting experience.

  
"Cas's a bit of a flirt. Sorry if he made you uncomfortable." Felicia was giggling at your predicament.

  
"If it makes you feel better he did the same thing to me." Cindy said as she pat your head. You were surprised Cindy didn't have an anxiety attack, with what she was used to encountering.

  
"Well, it's not any worse than Smokes does." You let out a settling breath, patting your face to ease your nerves.

  
"Well, let's go get you two settled. Hopefully we can get Smokes to cooperate a little bit."

  
"Eh, this might take a while. Cas took forever to warm up to me." Felicia smiled down at Cindy, following after her as she led the way to the section covered in cushions and hiding places. Cas stayed where he was, watching you while you willed yourself to get up. It was kind of hard with the bitty staring at you, but you managed.

Actually getting up proved to be another thing entirely. You couldn't move, as Smokes had managed to sneak up on you, latching onto the back of your shirt. It occurred to you then, that Cas had probably been watching Smokes.

"Hey buddy. You decide to join us?" You felt a tug, pulling you back against the bars. You didn't receive a reply. Cas still hadn't moved, opting to tilt his head at you as you huffed.

"You can go relax. I'll be alright." Cas shrugged, cocked an awkward finger gun and just disappeared. You could hear Felicia and Cindy squeak in surprise. You weren't entirely sure what just happened, but you were now aware of Cas, sprawled out on his human's lap. Smokes was staring at the small group now, eyelights round in confusion.

"Hey, look." His returning gaze was wary.

"You don't have to come out at all. You don't even have to acknowledge that he's here. I just want you to consider that maybe he'll teach you things about yourself that even you weren't aware of. If you decide you want to try, just give me a shout, okay?" You reached in to rub his skull, thoroughly expecting it when he licked your fingers. At least he let you go afterwards.

"No luck?" Cindy questioned once you had made your way into the space beside her.

"He'll get there. Maybe. Learn anything interesting?"

"Right. I forgot this wasn't just a social visit." Felicia scratched along Cas's skull, listening to his soft, rumbling purr.

"From what we've learned, Echo's are an interesting existence." The next hour of conversation managed to enthrall you. Turns out, Felicia had dedicated her life to the study of rare and unique bitties. She knew Sans from his expertise in souls and often used his knowledge to help her determine what category a bitty fell into. You had no idea what that meant, but it sounded cool.

Unlike normal bitties, who came to be from a combination of love, compassion and magic, Echo's came to be only if certain bitties died. No one was quiet sure which ones it took, or what other conditions were required, but it was something few had even been willing to try. It was considered unethical to murder bitties, just to try and replicate the existence of another. Just the same, you noted, as it was unethical to kill other humans and monsters. Because their birth into the world could be quite a jarring experience for the bitty, especially considering the circumstances surrounding the deaths, they were often quite wary.

Other major differences included their massive size, their larger than average pool of magic and their durability. They could take quite a lot more than their smaller counterparts and could dish out damage just as harsh.

"So, Smokes probably falls into the novice category. I've only ever seen him manifest small bits of magic." Cindy seemed thoughtful as she spoke.

"Yes. I'm sure when he warms up to us, Cas can teach him a few things." Cas didn't seem to like that, opening a single socket to glower at his human despite his continued purr. He hadn't bothered to move at all for the past hour.

  
"Poor guy seems a bit touch starved. Well, positive touch starved. He's probably lonely too." You hadn't thought about that. How often did Smokes get any kind of attention that wasn't sexual or tense in nature? You'd have to remedy that. As long as Cindy approved anyway. It wasn't your decision to make.

"Sounds like a plan. How often are you able to visit?"

"I can make a short visit every day after work. It would be best not to skip any days if we can help it." Cindy made time arrangements with Felicia out front while you cleaned up the cushions and set the other pens back up. For ease of use Cindy decided to leave the gates where they were. You were greatful. It would be a lot of unnecessary work to put it up and then take it down every day.

Smokes still hadn't moved from the bars of his room, watching you as you moved about. He looked worn out, his body slumped in faux relaxation, but his posture was rigid and tense. You had to have something that could calm him, just a little. Didn't you still have some honey candies in your pocket? That would have to do. You walked over to his crate, crouching down in front of him.

"Say ah."

"Ah?" It was quick work to unwrap one and shove it into his mouth. You left the bitty confused, but at least he was distracted.

Now for your discussion with your boss. Might as well do your part right? You found her out front, bidding goodbye to Felicia and Cas. Cas spotted you first, giving you a sultry wink and finger guns. Were Echo's _always_ so flirty?

"See you tomorrow _____!" You glanced up at Felicia, who was giving you a soft smile and a wave.

"Uh, yeah, see you tomorrow." Cindy watched in amusement as you fumbled through your goodbyes. That amusement quickly changed to confusion as you rounded on her.

"Boss, can I try touching Smokes?"

"What?" Her confusion had graduated to panic.

"I realized that Smokes probably hasn't had much contact that wasn't somehow sexual or negative... I wanted to try and change that?"

  
"Oh. OH!" Cindy let out a sigh of relief. What exactly had she been expecting?

  
"Yes! Let's go set up a schedule." You followed after her towards the office, leaving Tyson to fumble about on his own again.

You were in for a _long_ week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helping others find forever homes, affectionate Echo's, serious business talk, Bomber needs a hug.

Abigail came back. You were overjoyed. She was still just as nervous as before, but you hadn't really expected that to change. Which was probably how you ended up laying in the Mutt pen again. You didn't mind. No one was trying to bite you, the other potential adopters were bothering Tyson. There were a lot fewer Mutt's around her this time, and only a few snuggled up on your legs. You couldn't help but notice that Rockafella was among the ones settled into her lap. He looked like he was napping, but you could tell that he was watching the others vigilantly. Those two would definitely be a thing if she kept her word. You could feel a warmth spread through you at the sight.

The only thing you'd have to worry about would be her reaction to being bitten. It was an inevitability with these types of bitties. Even if Rockafella was a relatively laid back Mutt.

"_____ ? It's almost time for Smokes' therapy." You let out a groan as Cindy called for you from the back. Like clockwork you were covered in Mutts and struggling to get up. Because of _course_ they would smother you only when you had to move.

  
The brats.

  
It took you a few minutes and the help of Caesar to get free. At least Abigail was entertained, giggling quietly at your suffering. These Mutts might be a little _too_ smart for their own good.

  
"You going to be alright by yourself, or would you like me to help you out?" She looked down at her lap, where Rockafella had decided to stay. Seeming to feel her eyes on him, he looked up lazily, meeting her gaze.

  
"I.... I think I will be alright." Well you certainly _hoped_ so. You gave Rockafella a look that you hoped he would interpret as keep her safe. Well, maybe he would _try_ at least. He seemed more interested in sleeping than anything. In the end, it would probably be up to Caesar.

  
"Alright. See you soon okay?" She gave you a nervous nod and you left to help your boss set up.

\-----

Cushions, check. Pillows, check. Cooperative bitty... not so much. Smokes still refused to come out of his room. Cindy was pacing a hole into the floor, watching you gently try to coax the anxious Echo into your arms.

  
"Yeah, he's still not comfortable with any of this." You sighed heavily, rubbing at the knot in your neck from curling over for so long. Cindy let out a soft whine at the news.

  
"I guess we'll just have to see what happens." Your boss slumped, soft blue flames drooping. Luckily Felicia and Cas arrived, perking up the little fire monster considerably. As the three of them got settled, you made one more attempt at coaxing Smokes from behind his bed.

  
"Hey buddy. I know you don't want to do any of this. So I'll leave the door open for you. Just in case you wanted to join us, ok?" All you got was a hiss. Well, could be worse. You did as you promised, leaving the door open after you made sure that the gate was locked.

 

"I think perhaps it would be best if we let him get used to interacting in a positive way first. Wasn't he raised... well, I don't want to use the word _raised_ for that situation. I guess brought up would work better? He grew up in a hostile environment?" You settled in beside Cindy, turning just enough to keep one eye on Smoke's crate. You didn't want him to try to scale the wall or sneak up on any of you.

"That's probably as close as we could get to it."

  
What you didn't anticipate was Cas just appearing in your lap. You let out an unattractive squawk, almost falling backwards with your flailing. You somehow managed to keep your balance, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Felicia and Cindy were snickering in amusement as Cas ignored your bemused expression, sprawling across your legs carelessly. Well, guess you were a bed now.

  
"Cas must like you. He usually only lounges like that with me." Felicia seemed really pleased over this development, the corners of her eyes crinkling with the width of her grin. The bitty in question made a noncommittal noise, snuggling into your lap further and closing his eyes. Where do you put your hands? You fidgeted for a moment before ultimately deciding it was better off if you just let them dangle.

  
"Yeah, he likes you a lot. Does this kind of thing happen often?" Felicia turned her gaze towards Cindy, who was quietly watching the bitty render you unable to move.

  
"Now that you mention it, bitties do warm up to them pretty quickly." Really? You didn't think that was the case, but there wasn't really a baseline either.

  
"Hm. That might be useful later." Felicia mumbled with a shrug. Because _that_ wasn't a foreboding thing to say at all. Cindy leaned toward her with a grin much too wide to be innocent and the two of them began chatting quietly to themselves. You quickly gave up on following the conversation, allowing the surprising warmth of Cas lul you into relaxing. As much as you could anyway.

You very quickly grew bored.

"So, uh, this is going to sound weird." Cas cracked a socket at your low whisper, turning just enough to train an eyelight on your face.

"How weird?"

"Is there anywhere I shouldn't touch on an Echo bitty?" There was a moment of silence between the two of you, neither of you moving.

"You're right. That is weird."

"Don't make fun of me. I just..." You trailed off, gaze drifting toward the row of cages. You could see Smokes, just barely, standing in the doorway of his room as though he didn't really believe he could leave it.

"I want to help him. He deserves it." Cas hummed quietly, shifting to prop his head up on an elbow.

"Well, personally I'm not too picky about where I'm touched, as long as it isn't harmful. But for someone like Smokes, I'd probably avoid anything intimate." So you were relegated to tentative head pats, got it.

"So...."

"More pressing questions huh?" Cas chuckled, arching a socket. You rubbed at your face, a sheepish smile stretching your features. You might as well practice while you had the chance.

"Can I pet you?"

"I'm not opposed. Got a spare room?" Of course he had to smirk as he said this.

"Stop it!" You grumbled, reaching over to stroke his skull. Cas leaned into the motion with a laugh, letting you trace the gentle curve of bone. His purr was soothing, easing the tension. He kind of reminded you of a cat.

"Traitor." Felicia's voice seemed oddly out of place, your gaze drifting up to the woman standing before you. You weren't sure when Cas had rolled over and slumped down into the folded crook of his arms, or when you had graduated from his skull to the vertebrae of his neck. Had you really just spent an _hour_ leisurely petting a skeleton?

"Sorry." You said this, but you couldn't seem to stop petting him?

"You don't have to apologize hun. I'm actually rather thrilled." Cas huffed from where he lay, curling more into your touch. Felicia's smile was nearly face breaking as she bent down and picked up the bitty. Cas whined, draping himself dramatically over her arms.

"Oh don't be such a baby. We'll be back tomorrow." That didn't quell any of the bitty's theatrics, but Felicia was happy nonetheless. You guessed he did this pretty often. You bid the two goodbye when prompted, helped your boss clean up, then went to check up on Abigail.

She was doing quite well, all things considered. It seemed that the Mutts had gone a bit nuts while you were gone, judging by the overturned shelving. The one to corral and subdue them hadn't been Caesar, or even Ace like you had expected. It had been a Sansy bitty named Banter, who it turned out, was the _actual_ Shop Bitty. Here you were thinking it had been Caesar, since Cindy had used him to corral you before.

"Oh, no, Caesar is a normal bitty. I thought he'd soothe you, maybe you'd adopt him? Instead you kinda... just.... made him unofficial Shop Bitty?" You hadn't meant to do that! You turned your gaze to Banter, who was lazily slumped atop the nearby pen wall. Caesar might be a better fit, but still!

"'Fore ya say anything, 'm not bothered by it. 'S less work for me." Now that you were actually paying attention to a Sansy bitty, his likeness to Sans was actually starting to weird you out a bit. He even sounded like him.

"I'm still sorry for doing it!"

"Heh, no skin off my nose." D-did he really just...?

"To _patella_ the truth, I've enjoyed the extra Z's." Ugh, he was!

"Aw, come on, no need to _skull_ k." You let out a whine, turning to Cindy, who was groaning but smiling all the while.

"Why would you do this?" Cindy was shaking now with suppressed laughter. Clearly she was enjoying your agony.

"What, not _humerus_ enough for ya?"

"You are awful."

"It's _Ulna_ a little Banter."

You regret everything.

  
\--------

"Hey Cindy?"

"Hm?" Cindy was leaning over the nearby table, taking stock of the bandages and medication she would need. You were currently helping Coconut with his daily bath. Cindy had recruited your help after Tyson had yet again done something to upset the fragile bitty. You weren't sure why she let him back here in the first place. All you knew was that he probably deserved the bones through his hand.

"I think Tyson _might_ not be the best fit to work here." Cindy paused, turning to look at you as you bent down to coo at Coconut. Coconut had relaxed in between your fingers, allowing you to gently clean the strange gray gunk that had managed to coat the wounds around his ribs and pelvis.

"He's rather clumsy, but I don't think I should fire him over it." _Just_ clumsy? Did she really not notice? You felt your brows furrow in disbelief. There were so many signs. You had even tried to be patient, thinking maybe your boss was just waiting for the right time.

"He makes all the bitties uncomfortable. Not to mention the times I've found him in the back with a bitty he shouldn't have been with? That's somehow not worth looking into?" Cindy had begun to shift nervously, the bright yellow orbs that served as her eyes shifting in every direction but towards you. Fine. Whatever. If she was going to ignore it then you'd just have to protect the bitties yourself.

You very gently rinsed the suds left over from Coconut's body, then lifted him up to wrap him in a warm towel.

"Thank you Miss _____." Coconut floundered for a moment before he found your fingers, gently patting them in thanks.

"It's not that I don't want to do something about Tyson." Cindy had gotten closer to you, her hands stretched out to take the Blue. You ignored her, tucking the bitty against your chest while you carried him over to the table. Cindy huffed quietly behind you, scampering over to her stool to watch you as you finished helping Coconut dry off.

"Don't be upset please! I just.... if I were to fire him, what would prevent him from coming back? What if he hurt the bitties?" You finally looked up at her hiccup, realizing the small monster was crying. Large, damp looking balls of soot poured from her eyes, leaving wavering and unsettling trails of darkness down her flames. Ah geez. You picked up the nearby roll of bandages, letting Coconut settle into a comfortable position before you started.

"Cindy... there's never a time when you will be one hundred percent certain that someone won't choose to be a terrible person. But isn't it better to try and stop it now before he really hurts someone?"

"But!"

"No buts. Do you have anyone you can call to supervise it? You can call the police in if you need to." Cindy's sobbing slowed, her tiny hands coming up to wipe at the discoloration against her flames.

"I... I can call Sans." You really weren't sure how that weird bitty lookalike would help, but if she was sure you wouldn't complain. Much.

"Well, that's better then nothing. If you need a human witness, let me know, okay?" Cindy nodded, turning to riffle through the pile of clothing she had set out for Coconut. It wasn't the first time, but you were really starting to wonder how the tiny monster had come to run this adoption center. She just seemed too nervous to be the boss of anyone. Maybe Banter was the real boss? You wouldn't be surprised at this point.

"I will. I should go check on Tyson. I really didn't like the way the Edgy's were looking at him earlier. " You were tempted to tell her to leave him to his fate, but she was already stressed out as it was.

"If you must." She let out a crackling chuckle, hopping down from her stool. You helped Coconut get dressed, then parted ways with your boss in the hall.

  
The back room was rather quiet today, settled down in the aftermath of yet another unsuccessful attempt at getting Smokes to socialize. Coconut, who had been rather silent, shifted, patting your hand almost furiously as you approached his room.

  
"Miss _____! Stop at Tango's please!" You paused, looking down at Coconut. He was pointing in entirely the wrong direction, but you weren't going to tell him that.

  
"Okay, okay, hold your horses. Any particular reason for the visit?" You questioned, making the short trip down the wall.

  
"WE WOULD LIKE A LITTLE TIME OUT IF THAT IS ALRIGHT MISS_____!" Tango was already waiting by the door to his cage, giving you that winning Papy smile. It was a little bit early for free time, but you were sure it would be alright. Cindy had the front covered for now, even if it was just to rescue Tyson's bumbling behind. You had begun to wonder if he was pretending to be clumsy.

  
"NOW OFF TO FREE BOMBER!" You shook your head in amusement as you scooped the one armed bitty into your arms. You weren't sure if he wanted to be set free. Bomber, while much more open towards you then before, definitely still had his off days. Today might just be one of those days. He wasn't at his door today, slumped over in the far corner of his room. His sockets were half lidded, gaze unfocused and vacant.

  
"Bomber might not be up for it today guys."

  
"BUT HE HAS TO! IT IS IMPORTANT!" Tango flailed, reaching for the bars in front of him. Coconut did the same, only much more sedated about the endeavor.

  
"Bomber? Miss _____ would like to cuddle." Did you? You arched a brow at the Blue, who in hindsight, had no way of seeing anything you were doing. It interested Bomber enough for him to shift, eyeing you with wary sockets. At least he didn't look so frighteningly detached.

  
Fine. You'd cuddle. You weren't really objecting to it anyway. It took a few minutes and a combination of very loud and very soft coaching from your companions to lure the bitty out and onto the bare space of your shoulder. As you watched Bomber droop against your face, it occurred to you that maybe this was all for Bomber. He certainly looked like he needed it. Poor guy.

It was a quick trip over to one of the pens, where you tried unsuccessfully to set the bitties down. Instead you ended up sprawled awkwardly on a nearby cushion with all of the bitties curling into your chest. On second thought, maybe _all_ of the bitties needed some love.

  
"So..." Now you just had to figure out how you could convince them to allow Smokes to join.

  
"Actually, Miss _____? Could we... include Smokes too?" Eh?

  
"YES! SMOKES SEEMS RATHER LONELY." It was _almost_ like they could read your mind.

  
"If you guys are alright with it." Coconut and Tango nodded, one more vigorous than the other. This time they let you go, snuggling up to the slumped frame of Bomber. Just watching him made you feel bad. You tried to make it quick for his sake, hurrying over to Smokes' crate. The bitty in question was standing beside the door to his room, eyelights trained on the cushion the other bitties were snuggled into.

  
"Hey Smokes." His gaze snapped up to inspect your face. His posture was rigid, eye sockets scrunched with barely concealed wariness.

  
"Wanna join? You don't have to." Smokes was silent, staring at you with an indiscernible expression on his skull.

  
"Orgy?"

  
"What? _No_!" Why was the first word out of his mouth this week something lewd? The skeleton seemed disappointed, much to your distress.

  
"Okay." You hoped that was acceptance of the impromptu cuddle session and _not_ sadness over the lack of orgies. Honestly it was hard to tell. You opened the door to his crate, relieved when he walked out and let you scoop him up into your arms. You made your way back to the group, settling into the cushion as gently as possible.

As soon as you were still Coconut and Tango coaxed Bomber up into your lap, where he promptly layed down and refused to move. Tango decided that wasn't acceptable, trying his best to move the bitty further up your body. You gave him a helping hand, shifting Bomber up and into the crook of your neck. The edgy relaxed, shoved his face under your ear and promptly drifted to sleep.

  
"REALLY NOW? YOU ARE SUCH A LAZY BONES!" Tango huffed, settling down on your chest with Coconut. He didn't sound particularly upset about it, despite his choice of words. Although that quickly changed once he realized that Coconut too had snuggled into you and was quickly following after Bomber.

"NOT YOU TOO!"

"Shhh, she's so warm."

"NYEH!" Smokes had settled tentatively against your arm, skull resting on your shoulder. He was watching (at least you assumed, his face was hidden by your chin) Tango flail and try to scold Coconut, who was showing a remarkable ability to ignore him. You could feel Smokes fidget. He really _didn't_ have a lot of positive interaction. You couldn't help but wonder what he thought was happening. Well, you weren't supposed to start his touch therapy until next week, but a little bit wouldn't hurt. You lifted your arm just enough to reach his skull, your fingers curling to rub along the bone. The bitty froze, joints locking in place.

  
"Shh shh. You're okay. It's okay." You cooed quietly, continuing to gently pet the bitty until he started to relax. Bit by bit his body loosened, curling and sinking into your touch. Coconut had succeeded in his quest towards sleep, Tango reluctantly tucking in beside him.

  
There was something warm and fulfilling about watching the bitties succumb to the soothing sound of your heartbeat and a closeness they likely rarely got. Even Tango had started to drift, sockets drooping even as he claimed that sleeping was something he never did.

  
"Thank you." The words were quiet, murmured under a whisp of breath. You brought your fingers down far enough to scratch under the tired Bitty's chin, listening to his soft rumble of contentment.

  
"You're welcome."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you meet a horrifying bitty, encounter another weird lookalike, can't seem to stay away from work even on your day off and you try to murder your coworker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient with me! There's some sensitive topics here, so be safe!

Weird things had been happening in your apartment. Your socks began to disappear, cupboards left open and packages of food left half emptied. The scampering of feet in the middle of the night. If you didn't work with bitties every single day, you might have thought it a very clever mouse. So here came your dilemma. What exactly should you do about it? Was there some sort of wild bitty extraction company you were supposed to call? Perhaps it was a neighbor's bitty searching for essentials they weren't getting? Should you call the BRPA (The Bitty Rescue and Protection Agency)? You didn't think a bitty followed you home from the shop, but anything could happen.

Hell, at this point the bitty might as well be yours, as often as this was occurring. Either way you couldn't just let a bitty go uncared for. If you were somehow the parent of a bitty, you'd be damned if you didn't give them what you could. At least until you could figure out what to do. With that in mind you set about making breakfast. This bitty was lucky it was your day off. You were going to spoil them. You set aside a reasonable sized portion for a bitty you assumed to be starving, then went about your day of very thrilling procrastination.

  
By the time you dragged yourself away from your Netflix binge and up off your couch to make lunch you realized that the three pancakes you had set aside were gone. The plate itself was completely bare, not even syrup remaining. Maybe it was worse than you thought. You made two sandwiches, one conveniently left on a plate atop the counter. You set aside a few grapes for good measure, then went right back to your shows.

You had started to drift off halfway through the fifth episode of your show, snuggled up into the arm of your couch. Your blanket was wrapped snugly around your body, making you the most comfortable burrito. You would have stayed like that, cozy and warm. But your guest had other plans. It started with a tug near your feet, snapping you into awareness.

  
You were very quickly being climbed. You tried not to panic, you really did. But as the prickle of claws scratched at your skin through the blanket and a tiny skull came into view, your resolve quickly broke. The bitty looked awful. It looked like a Sansy. He even had the trademark jacket and shorts. His shirt was no longer white, streaked with a dark red substance you were pretty sure wasn't ketchup. His skull had a gaping hole on the left side, small hairline fractures radiating along the edges. His teeth looked sharper, as though they had been filed, sharpened points twisted into a frown. A single bright red eyelight shivered in his left socket.

  
You _might_ have screeched and tossed the blanket aside, engulfing the bitty in fabric as you bolted into the kitchen. You leaned against the counter, trying to catch your breath as you stared at the empty plate before you. It occurred to you that it was nearly dinner time. The bitty was probably just hungry and had come to ask you for food. After all, you had just fed them twice. Poor guy. What was wrong with you? You had seen bitties in awful conditions before. Yet here you were, panicking over a bedraggled and probably severely injured bitty.

  
The quiet clack of bone and something latching onto your leg caused you to flinch. You suppressed a shiver, telling yourself that you were being silly. It was perfectly fine. The bitty made its way up onto your arm, using the appendage as a bridge over to the counter. He settled down by the plate, looking up at you with that unsettling, shaking gaze.

  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out like that." The bitty seemed surprised by your words, eyelight expanding to nearly fill the socket. It was somehow even worse than the tiny wobbling light from before.

  
"Food?" Ah, right. You weren't sure what you were expecting. You moved away from the counter, opening your fridge. Welp. Spaghetti leftovers it was. You pulled out the Tupperware container, popping it into the microwave while you pulled out a plate. You didn't have any bitty sized silverware, but you had a feeling he wouldn't use it anyway. Once warmed you set aside a reasonable portion for yourself, plopping the rest down in front of the bitty.

  
At first it seemed like a mistake. The bitty reared back, staring at the food with a look of alarm. He had started to shake, sockets wide, tiny clawed fingers digging into his shorts. Then all at once, as you contemplated making him something potentially less traumatizing, he lunged forward, scarfing down entire facefulls of spaghetti. He was mowing through the pasta like it was water. He was almost entirely head first in the noodles, little feet kicking behind him for leverage.

  
It was then that you noticed he wasn't wearing shoes. He didn't even have _socks_ on. If he wasn't a stray then his owner was seriously negligent. You set your plate down beside the bitty, figuring he'd probably enjoy it more than you would right now. With the bitty preoccupied you grabbed your phone off of your side table, pulling up your boss's number. You took a picture of the bitty as he licked sauce off his fingers, eyeing your plate with the clear intention of devouring it.

  
×××: Should I be worried?

Lilboss: Woah. Give me a sec. I'll ask Sans.

  
Sans again? Well, he was the expert. You set your phone aside, watching as the bitty started on your portion of the spaghetti. Poor bitty was starving.

  
"Do you have a name?" The bitty paused, swallowing his mouthful and licking his teeth.

  
"M' name's Chops." Chops? Not the weirdest name you'd suppose.

  
"I'm _____." The bitty nodded, his attention turning back towards the plate of food. You let him get back to his meal, checking on your messages.

Lilboss: Sans says that's an Axe?   
Lilboss: He said they are supposed to look like that.  
Lilboss: Are you visiting someone?   
xxx: This is my kitchen.  
Lilboss: ?!  
xxx: He's eaten three pancakes, a sandwich, half a bag of grapes and two plates of spaghetti.   
xxx: He isn't even wearing shoes!

Lilboss: So it's a stray?  
xxx: Probably.   
Lilboss: Can you bring them over?  
xxx: I can try.  
Lilboss: Let me know if you need help!

You weren't sure you could even convince Chops to cooperate, much less think about how Cindy would even manage it. You set your phone down with a sigh, bringing a hand up to rub at your face. Chops had completely cleared both plates of food by now, calling into question how a five inch bitty could consume almost an _entire_ pot of spaghetti. Where did it even _go?_

"Thanks fo da grub." Chops had finished licking the last of the sauce off of his hands. His face however was still covered in sauce and bits of pasta. You grabbed a towel, dampening it with water. You then very gently scrubbed at the bitty's face. You could hear him grumbling through the fabric, latching his fingers into the towel.

"Just cleaning your face."

"I dun need it."

"Yes, yes." You rubbed gently along the unbroken side of his face, watching as the bitty leaned into the touch.

"Do you have a home?" Chops paused, pulling away from your hand.

"Here."

" _Before_ you snuck in here." He had pulled completely away from you, turning his body to face away from you.

"Here." You sighed. Okay, maybe he didn't want to talk about it. That was fine.

"Okay, okay. So, don't freak out, but I'd like to take you over to my workplace." His skull tilted at your words, twisting unsettlingly slowly until his gaze met yours.

"I work at an adoption agency. I figured we could get you some shoes, maybe new clothes? A check up?" Wow, you were really upset about his lack of shoes. The single light in his socket had disappeared, his body turning back to face you. The way he moved was disjointed, twisting in a way that must have hurt.

"Ya... are ya serious?"

"Yes?" Chops latched onto your sleeve, pulling himself up onto your arm.

"It's not a joke?"

"No?" There was a flash of silver, quickly followed by an abrupt pain. You screeched, flailing your arm, even as you told yourself to be careful not to hurt Chops. Who had just stabbed you with a fork. The bitty had toppled down onto the counter, cackling over your pain. You pulled the fork out of your arm, glowering at Chops. Seriously dude? Now you were bleeding and feeling significantly less amicable.

"Ya... ya are jus' trying ta abandon me!" His cackle had turned into a distressed wheeze, his tiny fingers coming up to dig into his socket.

Tug.  
Tug.  
Tug.

It had to hurt.

"Ya butter me up wit food then ya drop me off and leave me ta rot in some shop." He was rocking back and forth now, fingers scratching heavily at the bone.

  
"You know I _literally_ work there and would have to see you every day anyway?" Chops froze, turning his empty gaze towards your face. You took the moment of quiet to rinse the blood from your arm. The wound was mostly superficial, already well on its way toward clotting.

"Besides, I can't legally have you here without adoption papers." You wrapped a dish towel around it just in case, facing your tiny assailant once more. He still hadn't moved, skull tilted uncomfortably to one side.

"Adoption? What's that?" It was your turn to freeze up.

"Adoption? It's when someone goes through the legal process to make another person a part of their family. For bitties it's illegal to keep or attempt to keep a bitty who isn't a part of your family. With the exception of certified adoption centers. I think it's part of the bitty protection laws."

"There's laws ta protect us?"

"Yes?!" Chops went silent, slowly resuming his rocking.

"Where did you come from?" You felt like you would regret asking that, but you had to know. Worst case scenario you had to file a police report.

"A shop somewhere. I dun wanna go back. Please dun make me go back." Okay, how did you respond to a tiny skeleton having a panic attack on your counter? He was crying large red tears, both of his hands clawing at his face as he wailed.

"Hey, hey, hey. Honey it's okay. It's just for a little bit. I won't leave you." And there you went, making promises you couldn't keep. He continued to sob, curling up into himself.

No, really, how did you respond to a tiny panic attack??!!

Your first instinct was to reach out and try to rub his skull. That earned you teeth in your palm and unending levels of regret. Now you were bleeding profusely, twice as sore as before and had a tiny manic bitty covered in your blood and spaghetti sauce. This was not going well. You pulled away, picking up your phone.

xxx: Help???  
Lilboss: Right-o!

You waited for what felt like hours, bandaging the bleeding wound as Chops devolved into hysterics.

Lilboss: Alright. Sans says he can't drop by right now.  
Lilboss: But he's sending G over? Uh...  
Lilboss: It's another skeleton he says. Need your address.

You were really rather reluctant to just give out your address to strangers, but your need to stop this bitty from further hurting himself and you overrode it. You could only hope that the skeleton Sans was recommending wasn't a creep. It was hardly a few seconds or so later that you heard a knock on your door.

Did one of your neighbors wake up because of Chops? Weird, considering it was around six and he wasn't that loud. You walked over, opened the door and were immediately confronted with a baffling sight. There was a skeleton at your door, not that you weren't expecting there to be one eventually. It was just that the skeleton looked almost exactly like Smokes and Cas. The strange attractiveness of skeletons was really starting to get to you.

The skeleton had at least a foot on you height wise, although it might have been more, if the way he was slouching was any kind of indicator. He was wearing a grey turtleneck sweater, which was currently tucked right into his hip bones. The very exposed wings of his pelvis just barely supported the dark black jeans he had belted into place. The short leather jacket, which only went down to his ribs, didn't seem like it was really keeping him all that warm. At least he was somewhat dressed for the weather. He was also smirking at you, eyelights watching every bit of your inspection. With the way he was staring at you, it was hard to tell if he was here to help you or trying to pound you into your mattress.

...

Jesus _christ_ brain, _focus_.

"Hey there sweetheart. You the one with the bitty problem?" Even his voice was a low, husky rumble. You swallowed, pretending your ovaries didn't just compress into themselves.

"Y-yeah." Rather than let yourself get tongue tied trying to explain it, you gestured him into your apartment. He didn't even hesitate, strolling leisurely into the living room. He only paused when he heard the hysterical laughter pouring out from your kitchen.

"Ah. I see why you need help." There was a heavy thud, followed by loud sobbing. You met G's (he hadn't exactly introduced himself yet, but you assumed) gaze briefly, before you both rushed into the kitchen. Well, you rushed. G followed after you at his own pace.

Chops had knocked your plates off the counter and onto the floor. You were honestly surprised they hadn't broken. Chops was on his feet, heaving from the exertion. His gaze snapped towards you as you groaned, bending down to pick up your dishes. He opened his mouth, only to freeze in his tracks. G had finally made his way into your kitchen, looking down at the bitty in interest.

You were starting to see a trend.

"Hey there buddy. Had a bad day?" Chops' skull tilted up slowly, meeting the much taller skeleton's gaze. He then promptly chucked a butter knife at his face.

Where the _hell_ did he get that from?

"I'll take that as a yes." The knife of course, did nothing, now laying neglected on your kitchen tile. That didn't stop him, naturally. The bitty continued to toss various silverware at the much larger monster, G seemingly unaffected by the whole ordeal. Seriously, where was he getting these from? They didn't even look like they were yours.

"How did you even come across an Axe of all things?" It seemed G was just blatantly pretending that he wasn't being pelted with dishes, turning just enough to meet your gaze. You explained the situation, feeling inadequate. You dealt with upset and unruly bitties all of the time. The fact you couldn't handle one distraught bitty in your own home hit you harder than you thought.

"I see. I got this doll. Why don't you go sit down? You look like you're going to collapse." Well that just made you feel worse. You gave a slow nod in response, trudging out into your living room.

You practically curled into yourself once you reached your couch, letting out a heavy sigh. Had you gone about it the wrong way? Maybe there was a certain way to handle this type of bitty? You hadn't even known they existed, much less what to do. You needed to study more. You couldn't keep being useless.

As you spiraled down into your own pit of self hate, G had managed to calm the bitty down. He thrust the bitty into your shoulder, startling you out of your thoughts. Chops shuddered at the skin to bone contact, promptly latching on, arms wrapped almost painfully around what he could reach of your neck.

"It was just a bit of anxiety. Little guy just needed a reminder of where he was. He should be alright now." You hoped so. The room was filled with an awkward silence, as G stared at you expectantly. You hoped he didn't want you to pay him or something.

"Thank you for the hand?" That seemed to satisfy him, his gaze drifting off to inspect your sparse living conditions. He was even so bold as to pick up one of the photos of your family that you had out. If you had expected someone to rummage through your things you would have tucked it away in your room.

"So how long have you been friends with Sans?"

"I haven't." G paused, turning just enough to give you side eye.

"You haven't been friends long or at all?"

"At all. I've seen him a total of once. My boss is friends with him. I think." The skeleton hummed, setting down your stuff in favor of tucking his hands back into his pockets. You didn't appreciate the fact that this seemed to mean he had to stare at you again.

  
"So... how did you calm him down?"

  
"Just a few distractions and breathing exercises. If he gets that way again try to bring his attention elsewhere and soothe him the best you can. If you need help, just gimme a call peaches." He made an awkward waving motion with his hands, winked and the skeleton had disappeared.

What the hell.

How were you supposed to call him exactly? He still hadn't introduced himself, much less gave you any kind of number. Not that you _wanted_ to contact him again. You were better off trying to get help from Sans. You let out a groan, wondering if all skeletons were a whirlwind of nonsense. You didn't want to find out.

The heavy shudder of the bitty currently clinging to you gave you enough motivation to get up and pull on suitable clothes for the snow outside. You made sure he was wrapped up snugly in your scarf, since you couldn't get Chops to let go. Satisfied, you made your way out and into the heavy snowfall.

\----------

There was a closed sign on the front door. Weird. You were pretty sure the shop didn't close for at least two hours.

  
"Boss? Hello?" The shop was shockingly quiet as you made your way inside. It didn't take long for you to realize that all of the bitties were missing. That couldn't be good. You gave Chops a pat to reassure yourself. Where was everyone? Surely if something happened Cindy would have told you?

Unless something was _currently_ happening.

That thought had you scampering towards the back. The back hallway was empty, the kitchen void of all noise and food. The bitties should have been eating still. The treatment room was thankfully silent and unused. When you went to check the sleeping quarters you found the door to be shut and locked tight. You could hear soft chatter just barely drifting out from the cracks.

Good. There was someone here at least. You knocked, noticing how abruptly silent it had gotten. What in the _world_ was going on?

"Boss?" The door creaked open at your words, a relieved Cindy poking her head through the crack.

"Hurry in." She ushered you into the room, locking the door behind you.

"What's going on?" Cindy shivered, her flames flickering nervously.

"I'm going to do it." Wait. Was she seriously going to fire Tyson right now? That would explain why she had holed up the bitties in a place only she could access.

"You aren't trying to do this by yourself are you?" Cindy laughed at your words, moving to comfort an agitated group of Bosses.

"No, Sans is heading over soon. I'm just preparing for the fallout." You still weren't convinced that Sans would be all that useful, but in the very least he'd be a witness.

"Heyo Mama." There was a small but sudden weight upon your shoulder, drawing your attention. Banter had perched himself leisurely atop you, peering down at Cindy. So he was just going to use you like a stand huh?

"All of the front bitties have been accounted for."

"Oh good!" Cindy let out a sigh of relief, slumping down into the middle of a group of Blues.

"What about the rescues?" You hadn't seen them yet and you were pretty sure that Smokes would be extremely easy to spot.

"No rescues are present Boss." Was he calling you Boss...?

Wait.

"The rescues are out there alone with Tyson?!" Cindy gave a startled squeak at your shout, realization spreading across her features.

"Ah! I hadn't gotten that far yet! _____, could you..."

"I got it." You weren't on the clock, but there were bitties that needed you. Besides, you were vastly more durable than Cindy was. You reached into your scarf, lifting a sleepy Chops up towards your face.

"Hey buddy. I have to go on a rescue mission. I need you to stay here until I get back." Chops' sockets widened, his fingers latching onto your skin almost immediately.

"No! Don't leave me!"

"Hey now bud. Easy. Why don't you come with me? There's snacks." Chops glanced over at Banter, who was slumped lazily against your cheek now.

"I'm going with Mama." You weren't his Mama quite yet, but the bitty was insistent, digging further into your hand and trying to crawl into your coat sleeve. Banter sighed, shifting just enough that he could slump over and into your scarf.

"Uh..."

"Well, 's my job ta look out for everyone. So I'll go too."

"Fine. Come on." You tucked Chops back against your neck, ignoring the indignant look that graced his skull. You didn't have time to waste with arguing.

"IM GOING TOO!" Because of course Caesar would want to join in. The tiny Raspberry was standing at your feet, hands on his hips.

"I can't take everyone!"

"IM GOING!" Caesar shouted, then made his way onto your shoulder, scowling with his determination.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving before anyone else decides to join in!" You hurried out of the room, leaving Cindy to lock the door behind you. You really didn't like this, this feeling of unease that had settled over the building. Tyson had to of figured it out by now. You swallowed, hoping to god that he wasn't back in the rescue room.

(This is a bit rough, be safe and skip if you need to! Violence and mild noncon)

****

Unfortunately, your concerns were well founded. There was a heavy crash as you were nearing the doorway, spiking your heart rate through the roof. You ducked into the room as swiftly as your body would let you, freezing at the sight that greeted you.

"You stupid slut." Tyson growled, his face twisted into a scowl. The noise had been him tossing Smokes into the cage wall. The bitty in question was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Tyson was breathing heavily, frame still curled in from his throw. As he stood and your eyes followed the motion you noticed that his pants were unbuttoned, giving you just enough of a flash to know what the bastard was up to.

"You're going to reject me now? All those other times you open up your mouth without being asked." Tyson stalked towards the bitty, lifting him up by his neck.

"That worthless little boss of mine never really noticed you until that bitch showed up. Then she wanted to shower you with attention. " Smokes started to squirm, his legs flailing as he tried to free himself.

  
"Fuckin pathetic. You know that no one is going to come save you. That guard dog of a woman isn't here today." He squeezed, even as the bitty dug his claws into the flesh of his fingers. You could hear the crack of bone all the way by the doorway. Tiny claws dug into your skin, reminding you of the bitties now burrowing themselves into your neck. It took you a second to realize that you were already making your way towards the scuffle. There was a deep, heavy burning in your chest that drove you forward.

"So be a good little cock sleeve...!" Your fist collided with his jaw, sending Tyson reeling. His grip on the bitty loosened, allowing him to slip free. Tyson stumbled, trying to regain his balance as he gaped at you in surprise. You didn't let him. You kicked in at his knees, relishing in his sound of anguish. As you pinned him to the floor, fist bloodying his face, you realized.

You  
Were  
Filled  
With  
 _ **RAGE**_.

"You asshole!" A grunt escaped his chest as your fist connected with his chin.

"How could you?" A fist to your jaw.

"He just wants to live a Normal. Fucking. Life!" His nose cracked under your fist.

"Why would you ruin his progress?!" You couldn't stop. Your breathing was swift and shallow, body numb to the blows Tyson landed against your ribs. Then there was a small thud that made the both of you pause. Chops had plopped down onto Tyson's chest, an almost manic grin stretched across his skull. There was a brief moment of silence, until Chops pulled out a paring knife and attempted to stab Tyson in the throat. You quickly scooped him up, trying to shield him against your chest as Tyson let out a horrified squeak.

"Chop chop muthuh fucka." Chops growled, brandishing the knife as though he could reach him. Where the hell had he gotten that from? Christ! You wanted to hurt Tyson sure, but you didn't want to kill him!   
...  
Current thoughts aside.

"You stupid bitch!" You grunted when Tyson had managed to shove you aside, trying to grab your arms and avoid the knife wielding bitty now buried against your neck. You weren't willing to give in either as you continued to hit him with your free hand. A swathe of tiny bones nearly pierced his palms, startling him just enough to give you back your bearings.

  
"FOOL! DO YOU THINK YOUR OPPONENT WOULD COME WITHOUT REINFORCEMENTS?" Caesar proudly cooed from your scarf. His actions gave you just enough space to heft your leg back, kicking straight up into.....

Nothing?

"Heh. Looks like someone is raring for a _**BAD TIME**_." Tyson was surrounded by a faint blue glow, body now hovering just out of reach of your leg. You froze there, watching as Tyson was lifted just a bit higher, his body starting to rotate in a lazy circle.

"What the fuck! Put me down!" Tyson struggled, trying to get free to no avail.

***

"You ok kid?" You turned your head, realizing that Sans was standing in the doorway. His posture was relaxed, almost as if he was falling asleep. You'd have thought he would do just that, if it weren't for the fact that his left socket was ablaze and his grin was twisted down at the edges.

"I'm not a kid." Your entire body hurt, now that you were focused on something other than desperation.

"Quit pretending I don't exist!" Tyson shouted, as if you would forget what he had done and help him.

Fat chance.

"I'll take that as a yes." Sans muttered, shaking Tyson a bit violently. You felt your body slump momentarily, before you shot right back up, scrambling over towards where Smokes lay unmoving.

"Shit. No no no." You reached out tentatively, fingers gently grazing his skull. The bitty let out a growl, sockets snapping open at the contact. You stayed still, letting Smokes get his bearings. Once he realized he was safe he leaned into your touch, a low whine escaping. He looked haggard, traces of new damage and cracks littering his visible bones. You wondered how many of his scars had come from Tyson.

"Come on, up we go." You very slowly scooped Smokes up into your arms, trying your best not to startle him. The bitty slumped into you, bones starting to rattle as the events that had unfolded caught up with him.

"Heya boss. I'll snag tha others an we can 'ead o'er to mama." Banter popped up out of your scarf as you were gently rocking the sobbing bitty. You had honestly forgotten that Banter had come along with you. You nodded your accent, turning to watch as Sans made Tyson loose his dinner.

"Police should be on tha way, but I'd hole up jus' in case."

"Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine kid." You _totally_ believed that. No doubts _whatsoever_. You weren't being sarcastic at _all_. But truthfully, there wasn't much you could do to convince him, so you just wouldn't waste the energy to try.

"MISS ____! I'M GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" Banter had arrived with the other rescues. Tango was now bouncing about near your feet, followed up by a lethargic looking Coconut and very skittish Bomber.

"I'm alright. Are you guys ok?" You crouched down so that they could clamber up and into your scarf. You looked them over as they settled in. They all seemed to be unscathed. Good. You were going to make sure it stayed that way.

"Yes, we're alright. Smokes kept Tyson's attention so we would be safe." Coconut reached down blindly as you moved to leave the room, feeling about until his hand met with Smokes' skull. That tidbit just sparked a new wave of anger that you had to suppress. Turning around to punch Tyson one more time wasn't worth it. It would feel great sure. But you had a literal armful of bitties under your care right now.

It wasn't until you were safely holed up with Cindy and the others that your emotions caught up with you. The rage was replaced by a wave of distress and disbelief. You curled in around Smokes, who had refused to let go of you despite his relative safety. You cried while stroking his skull, hating that this had happened. Hating that it took this long to act. His pain hurt. Their pain hurt. You came to a resolution as you buried your face against a reluctantly sharing Chops, cradling Smokes as he tried to bury himself deeper against your stomach.

Never again.

You would keep them safe.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even a small breeze can become a hurricane. 
> 
> A small peek into a few of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! This is a POV sort of chapter. If this is the sorta thing you like, or if there are others you would like to have, just let me know!

 

**Safe**.

He was surrounded by warmth, a pleasant combination of the woolen pocket he was curled up in and body heat from the human carrying him around. The soft, steady hum of the soul above him was soothing. He didn't have to think or move. It drowned out the screaming of his own soul and let him sleep. It was all over, all because of this human who blazed such a brilliant shade of yellow. He couldn't let go. It was a million lifetimes better than anything he had been in before.

  
He never had to see Tyson again. Never had to sacrifice his very soul and mind to the bastards whims just to protect those who were so much weaker than he was. He was glad that he had decided to finally place his life in their hands. Not that they seemed to realize that he had given himself to them. His human was rather oblivious.

  
"Smokes? Hey buddy, it's about time for lunch." He lifted his head as _____'s soft voice coaxed him into awareness. Fingers tentatively wrapped around his body, lifting him gently up from the pocket he had refused to move from. He immediately latched onto her hand, unwilling and unable to face anyone right now.

  
"It's only for a minute. I need to change." He let out a low whine, trying to pull himself back into the safety of his nest. _____ sighed, rubbing a thumb against his spine.

  
"You can stay in the room with me as long as you don't comment on my ass again."

  
"But it's nice."

  
"Smokes!"

  
"Fine." He grumbled, letting her lift him up and settle him on the nearby table. Chops, a bitty who's name he had only recently learned, had taken advantage of the human's kindness to cling to her like a leech. He was currently watching her as she tugged off her shirt, fingers latched into the soft curve of his socket. Smokes could see the dust falling from between his fingers as he scratched at the inside of his skull.

  
"Mama could eat more." He had claimed _____ it seemed, though the human had failed, as usual, to notice. Smokes wasn't sure if he really agreed with Chops. The human had more than enough curves for him. Chops' single red eyelight shivered, snapping in his direction. The creaky, jittery way he turned his skull did little to ease his nerves.

"Ya could too."

"I'm not hungry."

"Dat's a load o' bull."

"I don't want to eat right now."

  
"Dun mean ya can worry Mama by not eat'n 'nough." Needless to say, he didn't like Chops pointing out things he was blatantly ignoring. He simply hummed in response, much to the bitty's annoyance. Eating still felt like a luxury he didn't deserve. He hadn't done anything to earn it. Maybe if he was good ____ would let him work for a snack. He could just imagine burying himself between her thighs and...

"Okay. All set. Let's get you guys fed." Smokes blinked slowly, taking a moment to register her words. He blindly reached up, letting her scoop him up into her arms. She let Chops scurry up into her hood then cast her gaze down towards him.

"You alright buddy? You look a little dazed." So she had noticed. Smokes gave her the cheekiest grin he could muster.

"I'm fine. Just admiring the wonderful pair of peaches you got there." It took her a second, but the lovely shade of red that flooded her face was worth it.

"Jeez! Can you go one day without oogling me?" She muttered quietly under her breath, tucking him back in the front pocket of her new hoodie. A sense of peace covered him like a blanket and he burrowed in, letting the steady hum of a familiar soul drown out his rising anxiety.

**Safe**.

\------

**Healing**.

Coconut had never liked Tyson. Sure, the first few weeks of him working at the Center had been alright. He had seemed almost normal. The bitty hadn't even thought into his existence very much until the day Cindy had him help clean up the rescue room. He had taken Coconut out of his room for what was supposed to be a routine bath.

It wasn't.

He couldn't forget the way his hips cracked, already existing fractures widening under the pressure of his thrusts. The way the dust from his bones mixed with his fluids to gloop into his joints. He shivered, fingers digging ruts into his ribs as he relived a memory best left forgotten. But he couldn't forget. It was carved into his bones, no matter how much damage he did to himself to try and drive away the feeling of violation. The worst part was probably the fact that he felt like he had deserved it.

"Coconut? Want a piece of melon?" Dragging his hand away from his chest the bitty reached up blindly at the sound of _____'s voice. He could feel the steady warmth of her soul, even though he couldn't see it. He wished he still had his sight, so he could memorize the curves of her face. Tango had tried to describe her to him once, but he had forgotten what color even looked like, much less the complexities of the human face.

"Thank you." The melon was sweet, dripping messily down into the spaces between his fingers and metacarpals. It was a little chilly, but not unpleasant. He rather preferred the soft warmth of her skin, silky with a hint of roughness. Her scent had a hint of salt, pervaded by what smelled like a coco butter based lotion and fruit. He wanted to bury his face into her neck and stay there for eternity.

"I'm going to wipe your face." He liked that she always warned him before she did anything. She didn't want to startle him and he could feel her kind intentions. The cloth was one of the softer ones, her touch gentle but firm. She never exasperated the cracks around his sockets nor the fractures of his ribs. She was kind. Her soul had to be a beautiful green. She let him heal.

Wholesome, soft.

**Healing**.

\-----

**Hatred**.

Banter was a lazy bitty. He never wanted to work hard if he could help it. Lately though, these past few months he had been working harder than ever. After all, sometimes karma needed a helping hand.

He could tell that Tyson was a terrible human the moment he laid his eyelights on him. No one had such a sketchy soul if they were a good person. So he kept watch over him, hiding along the tops of bookshelves and the small little cracks along the walls. He behaved himself for a little while, until he tried to walk off with a Softy in his pocket.

Banter made sure that Tyson's face met the floor. He rescued the bitty while the human was still reeling, tucking him back into the safety of the pens. He promptly informed Mama. He had been there, sitting on Cindy's shoulder as she confronted Tyson, who claimed he had been unaware of the Softy in the first place.

Yeah right.

Cindy ended up giving him the benefit of the doubt, but asked Banter to keep an eye on him, just in case. He would end up doing more than that.

The bastard ended up abusing his Mama's trust, assaulting one of the rescues only a week or so later. The bitty himself, a Blue named Coconut, didn't say anything about it, much to Banter's own horror. He couldn't do anything on his own, especially if the bitty in question never spoke up. So he employed the help of the more violent bitties under his Mama's care. They had been just as furious as he was and more than willing to dish out as much karma as possible.

Every chance he got he made sure that Tyson ended up in one of the pens. A casual trip into the Raspberries, or a literal shove towards the Edgy's. He incurred the wrath of so many bitties and yet he continued to assault the various residents of the Center. It wasn't until he realized that Tyson's attention had started to zero in on one particular bitty that he doubled his efforts.

Even Cindy seemed to have taken notice of his efforts and had attempted to fire Tyson. The human had erupted and threatened to dust the entire center if she ever even so much as thought about the subject again. Needless to say his Mama was terrified and had tried to report the incident. The police were reluctant to act without proof, leaving the small monster a nervous wreck.

It wasn't enough.

Smokes, a bitty who was already an emotional trash fire as it was, had taken it upon himself to keep Tyson away from as many bitties as possible by offering up himself. Banter couldn't help but ask why. The answer was simple. He thought he deserved it. They all thought they deserved to be treated that way. He couldn't understand it.

Then _____ walked through the front door. Things become so much better so quickly. Tyson's opportunities had drastically decreased the moment he convinced Cindy to hire her. It was like some part of her knew that Tyson was literal trash, driving her to constantly interfere with every attempt he made to be alone with a bitty.

Unfortunately there was nothing she could do on her days off. Those days Banter had to work even harder to thwart Tyson's attempts. It wasn't always successful. All he could do on those days was try and comfort the bitties affected and log the times on the cameras for his Mama. The cameras were a fairly recent thing that Cindy had added when she found out that the police wouldn't help them without some form of evidence of the abuse. Again, the reluctance of the bitties who were being assaulted was a hindrance to their own help. The fact that Cindy only had 10 hp put a fight well out of their reach.

It was unfortunate that when the day finally came to get rid of the bastard, _____ had the day off. But Banter still had a job to do, and helped his Mama round up and secure the other bitties bit by bit so that Tyson wouldn't notice. Cindy eventually used the excuse of dinner to lock the remaining front room bitties in the safety of the back living quarters. Tyson had taken the quiet to his advantage, much to all of their horror, to sneak into the room with the rescues.

They panicked. Cindy was pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a plan to get the bitties to safety. Banter himself was on edge, borderline manic with worry. He almost went out himself, determined to do some kind of damage control. Then _____ appeared, almost as if he had summoned her.

The way her soul blazed set him at ease almost immediately. Everything would be alright. Of course, she instantly jumped to the defense of the rescues that they hadn't been fast enough to secure. He followed her, tucking down into her scarf with Caesar and a bitty he had never encountered before. Not that he had the time to pay attention to the bitty with the way _____ practically sprinted through the hallway.

  
It was lucky that she had come when she had. Banter watched in fascination from the safety of her scarf as _____ tried to maul Tyson to pieces. The way his face was battered and his visible skin was scratched and bleeding sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. The only thing that could have been better would have been for Sans to stay out of it. It was because of him that the fight was pulled to such an abrupt end, ruining the justice that was being so rightly served. He couldn't help but grumble, as _____ had pulled herself up and made to gather up the rescues. Yet more work for him.

  
As they left the room, Banter's gaze met with Tyson's. He made sure to flip the bastard off, finding a sick sense of pleasure at the way he squirmed in Sans' magic, trying to free himself. Karma had caught up to him and there was no escape. Sans cast him a sideways glance, the warning doing nothing to quell his loathing.

  
He was filled with...

**Hatred**.

  
\-----

**Lonely**.

Chops couldn't stand the quiet. It reminded him of things better left forgotten. The emptiness, the mind numbing silence. Sometimes when it was too much he would remember the gnawing ever present hunger, the streaks of weeks without food. The crunch of bone between his teeth as his mouth filled with the dry, bitter dust of his companions.

He was so hungry.

  
He hated himself.

  
He knew that it had been no fault of his own that he had been neglected so severely. Nor was it his fault that his body had succumbed to the need to consume and survive. He apologized every day to the souls of his brothers and the many versions of himself whose lives he ended just to further his own pitiful existence.

  
Yet the guilt ever lingered. The days he spent with _____ were quieter though. The pleasant drumming of their heartbeat drowned out the voices. The quiet drone of their voice a balm to his soul. Besides, Mama kept loads of snacks stashed away in their pockets. That was more than enough reason to stay tucked away in her clothes.

  
He was getting off topic wasn't he? What had he been thinking of? Right, noise. His current, seemingly endless hoodie companion, Smokes, had just been fished out of his Mama's pocket, drooping and lethargic. The bitty hardly spoke a word, silently taking in his surroundings with an impressive level of unenthusiasim. He could tell just from a glance that the bitty hadn't been eating properly the past two days, much to his irritation. He knew trauma had a funny way of robbing you of hunger, of sleep and even the ability to just feel normal and okay.

Luckily his Mama was smart, setting the listless skeleton down beside him at the table. Smokes slumped and tried to curl in as soon as his Mama had released him. Couldn't have that. Chops tugged him upright by the collar of the sweater Smokes had been forced into. He pulled his fingers from his socket, reaching down and scrapping up one of the bite sized burger pieces from the plate before him. Then he promptly shoved it into Smokes' mouth, startling the bitty into wakefulness. The skeleton gave him a sideways glare, which Chops pointedly ignored.

  
He began to feed the bitty, much to their own irritation, if the grumbling was anything to go by. Despite his apparent disgruntled fussing the bitty made no attempt to really stop him. He was bigger than Chops was by at least three body lengths, but couldn't put up much of a fight against the determined way Chops forced food into him.

  
He didn't stop until the soft scrape of his distal phalanges against ceramic informed him that the plate was empty. Huh. He had succeeded in feeding the Echo both their portions. That was disappointing. He lifted his gaze, swiftly hunting down his human. As soon as he saw her he released his grip on Smokes, causing the suddenly unsupported bitty to face plant into the table. The resulting thud and groan quickly drew attention.

  
"Chops? You good?" His mama called from where she stood, trying to get a Lil Bro, who his memory couldn't conjure up a name for, to release the tray she was holding.

"'M still hungry." He could see the tilt of his Mama's head as she leaned to peer over at their plate. She cast him a bemused little smile, scooped the clingy Lil Bro up into her arms and made her way over to the table they were perched on.

"You force fed Smokes again huh?" Ah, his Mama knew him so well, setting down another portion of food for him. Clearly she knew that he would do this.

"Dun know wha' cher talkin' 'bout." _____ chuckled, watching him as he dug into his food with gusto. He savored the warmth that spread through his bones at her affectionate stare. He was sure that if he stuck with her he would never have to be...

**Lonely**.

 


End file.
